Laminated wig with thickened portion adjacent the front edge



1955 E. H. MARTIN ETAL 3,155,107

LAMINATED WIG WITH THICKENED PORTIO N ADJACENT THE FRONT EDGE Filed June7, 1962 Java "702/ 0 @me7/4MM 3y M R f QM United States Patent 3 165,107LAEHNATED WIG WITH THICKENED PORTIGN ADEACENT THE FRGNT EDGE Earl H.Martin, 2603 Columbia Bay Drive, Lake Villa, BL, and Kenneth A..Iohanson, Forest Lake, Ili.; said .lohanson assignor to said MartinFiled June 7, 1962, Scr. No. 200,805 7 Claims. (Cl. 132-63) Thisinvention relates generally to improvements in Wigs and moreparticularly, relates to a wig or toupee construction which utilizes anovel laminated plastic base or foundation having portions of differentflexibility characteristics whereby a more natural or realistic fronthairline is realized.

A major object of the invention is to provide a toupee or wig of thecharacter described which comprises a flexible plastic base orfoundation moulded to the configuration of the bald portion of the head,said base having a first portion adjacent the front edge thereof whichis substantially more rigid than the remainder of the base, said firstportion having a downwardly extending flexible front edge which ispressed against the head at the front hairline when the wig is Worn.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a wig of thecharacter described in which said base or foundation is comprised of apair of flexible plastic members laminated together, one of said membersbeing molded substantiallyto the configuration and contour of the baldarea of the head to be covered, the second of said members being a caplaminated to a portion of the upper surface of said first member andhaving a downwardly extending resilient front edge protruding beyond thefront or lead edge of the first member, there being hair secured betweensaid members and extending outwardly and upwardly around said resilientfront edge to provide a front hairline which is more realistic thanheretofore obtainable in such structures.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wig of the characterdescribed in which the hairpiece is'adhesively secured overlying theupper surfaces of both of said plastic members and a portion of thehairpiece is pinched between the two members shortly spaced from thefront hairline and extending around the front edge of the cap member.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a wig-whichincludes short hairs secured adjacent the front or lead edge of thelaminated plastic base or foundation which are pressed downward andoutwardly to achieve a more natural front hairline.

Other objects of the invention will be seen to reside in the relativelysimple and economical wig construction and method of making the samewhich is realized, which wig can be accurately and easily fitted to eachindividual wearer and which is long lasting and very natural lookingespecially as to the front hairline.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent asthe description thereof ensues, in connection with which a preferredembodiment has been described in detail and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing. It is contemplated that minor departures from thestructure ofthe invention may occur to the skilled 3,lb5,l@7 PatentedJam-12, 1$65 of the advantages thereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of FIG. 3 and in thegeneral direction indicated.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 1 and enlarged toreveal details of the wig.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wig embodying the invention covering thebald area of a wearers head.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the base or foundation without the hairattached thereon, the plastic members being positioned one relative tothe other in operative position.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference character 20 designatesgenerally the wig or toupee embodyingthe invention. The toupee 20 iscomprised of a laminated plastic base or foundation designated generally22 upon which a hairpiece or hair 24 is secured overlying the uppersurface of the base 22. The base 22 is comprised of a pair of plasticmembers 26 and 28 permanently secured together in predeterminedsuperimposed relationship to achieve the distinctive advantages of theinvention.

The plastic member 26 is molded of a suitable plastic, preferably avinyl plastic material, to the size and contour of the bald area 30 ofthe head 32. In fitting the bald portion 30, precise and accuratemeasurement is done by well-known casting techniques. The member 26thereafter is molded of uniform thickness approximately .040 of an inchthick. The member 26 is flexible and light in weight.

The plastic member 28 also is molded, preferably of the same plasticmaterial as the member 26, however, the member 28 may be somewhat lessflexible than member 26. The member 28 also is of uniform thickness andapproximately .025 of an inch thick to achieve such greater rigidity,although this is not absolutely necessary.

The member 26 is considerably larger than the member 28 since it coversarea 30. Member 26 has a rounded front edge 34 which continues into wingportions 36 on opposite sides of member 26, the wing portions 36corresponding approximately in position to the temples 33 of the headwhen the wig is worn. Because the member 26 conforms to the shape anddimensions of the bald portion 30, it is generally concave so that frontedge 34 extends downwardly toward the desired front hairline. The member28 also has a rounded front edge 40 which conforms generally incurvature to the front edge 34 and it connects with wing portions 41 onopposite sides thereof identical to wings 36. The rear edge 42 of themember 28 is straight. The member 28 also generally is concave in shapeand is secured on the upper surface of the member 26 in a selectiveposition by a suitable adhesive, such as, an epoxy resin. The positionof member 28 relative to member 26 in their secured together conditionis important.

As seen in FIG. 4, the straight rear edge 40 of the member 28 is spacedslightly to the left or rear of the wing portions 36 with the wings 41overlying the wings 36 in a matched engagement indicated :by the flushmarginal edges thereof respectively in FIG. 4. The cap 26 issufliciently long so that the front edge 40 of member 28 will extenddownwardly and beyond the front edge 34 of member 36. In fitting thebase 22, the front edge 49 will correspond to the front hairline of thewearer in the worn position of the wig 20.

Thus, upon the members 26 and 28 being secured together, the bodyportion 44 of member 26 from the rear edge 42 of member 28 to the rearcurved edge 46 is single-ply and hence, is quite flexible. The bodyportion 44 may be considered the rear portion of the wig 2%. On theother hand, the front body portion of the wig which is two-ply, that is,comprised of member 28 secured on top of member 26 is substantially morerigid with the exception of the front edge 40 of member 28 whichprotrudes beyond the front edge 34 of member 26.

The hairpiece 24 preferably is of conventional construction commonlyused in making wigs. The hair is sewn or stitched to a flexible mesh orfabric foundation 48 which, in turn, is adhesively secured on the uppersurface of portion 44 commencing at rear edge 46 and over theuppersurface of member 28 by a suitable adhesive. The front end portionof the hairpiece then passes around and under the front edge as ofmember 28 and between the members 26 and 2-8, as indicated at St) inFIG. 2. In making the wig or toupee 2%, short or so-called baby hairsare ailixed also between the members 28 and as, these hairs 52 beingsuificiently long to extend beyond the edge ll a short distance. It willbe seen that hairs 52 are pinched between the members 26 and 28 in thecompleted wig 2i).

Familiar pads 54 are used for removably attaching the wig 26 on thescalp. The actual number of pads used may vary but, for effective usage,a pair of pads 54 are located on the stiller front portion of thelaminated base inwardly spaced from edge 34 of member 26 and a singlepad is sufficient on the body portion 44. Each pad is secured to theundersurface of member 26 by means of a suitable adhesive and the outerface of the pad carries a pressure-sensitive adhesive which engages thescalp. The thickness of each pad 5 is approximately the same as thethickness of member 26.

To put on the wig 2b, the wig is located in proper position overlyingthe bald area 3t and then pressed downwardly to adhere thepressure-sensitive adhesive surfaces of the pads 54 to the scalp. Inpressing downwardly, the front edge 4d of member 26 engages against thescalp at the desired front hair-line and slightly depresses the scalpalong the line of engagement which corresponds to front edge 4% seen inFIG. 2. Thus, the portion of the hairpiece passing around and under theedge 40 as Well as the small hairs 52 are sprung outwardly somewhat,with the longer hairs 56 of the hairpiece capable of being combedbackwardly. The portion of the member 28 rotruding beyond the edge 34 ofmember 26 is sulficiently resilient to flex slightly in its engagementwith the scalp so that a spring-action is achieved which presses thehairs 52 and 56 outwardly a small amount to achieve a natural andrealistic hairline at edge 40. The laminated portions of members 26 and28 however are stiffer and they resist flexing when the wig is presseddownwardly on the head. The body portion 44 however is flexible and doesadjust itself to the shape of the bald area. The base 22 is supported onthe pads 54 slightly spaced above the scalp to provide ventilation space58, as seen in FIG. 2. The portion 44 may be perforated, although thisis not necessary and hence, has not been illustrated. The edge ispressed against the scalp so that no gapping is occasioned.

To make the toupee 2.2, a casting material, such as wax is fitted andshaped over the bald area St) to make a mold. Then, by well-known vacuummolding techniques, the lower plastic member 26 of the base 22 is made.The upper plastic member 28 then can be made following the sameprocedure. The cap member 28 is positioned over the member. 26, asdesired, the hairpiece 24 fitted in place with the front end portionthereof passed around edge 41? and between the members 26 and 28, asseen in FIG. 2. The short hairs 52 also are inserted between members 26and 28 and the assemblage secured together by means of a suitableadhesive. Epoxy resin adhesive has been found to be satisfactory forthis purpose. The pads 54 may then be secured in place on the bottomsurface of member 26.

it is believed that the invention has been described in sufiicientdetail to enable the skilled artisan to understand and practice thesame. In the claims appended hereto, it is intended that the languageused to point out the invention be liberally construed commensurate withthe scope of the improvement over the prior art contributed thereby.

What it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A wig comprising, a molded laminated plastic base of predeterminedsize and contour, hair secured on the upper surface of said base, saidbase having a downwardly extending flexible front edge portion arrangedto coincide with the front hairline of said head when the wig is worn,said hair extending from the said upper surface around the front edge,said base comprised of a pair of flexible members secured together oneabove the other, the upper member being smaller than and secured to thelower member at a location on said lower member whereby said uppermember has a front edge spaced forwardly of the front edge of the lowermember thereby forming said flexible front edge portion and defining alaminated forward end portion and a rear body portion, the front edgeand rear body portions having a substantially greater degree offlexibility than the laminated forward end portion, and means secured onthe lower member for holding the wig on the head.

2. A wig as described in claim 1 in which said hair comprises ahairpiece having a front end portion extending around said front edgeand secured between said members spaced from said front edge.

3. In a toupee, a base adapted to conform to the size and shape of abald spot on a head comprising, a pair of members superimposed one uponthe other, the lower member formed of a flexible plastic materialsubstantially to conform to said bald spot, the upper member comprisinga cap of flexible plastic material smaller than the lower member securedupon the front end portion of said lower member whereby the thuslaminated front end portion of the base is more rigid than the remainderof the base, said cap having a front edge extending downwardly andbeyond the front edge of the lower member to coincide with the fronthairline of the head upon which the toupee is installed.

4. A toupee comprising, a laminated foundation comprised of a pair ofrelatively flexible plastic members secured together one on the uppersurface of the other, the foundation conforming in size and shape to thebald spot of a head to be covered by the toupee, said upper member ofthe pair being smaller than said lower member and secured theretoprotruding downwardly beyond the front edge thereof at a locationthereon whereby the conjoined portion of said foundation issubstantially less flexible than the remaining areas of the foundation,and a hair piece secured on said foundation, said hair piece having afront end extending around the front edge of the upper member andsecured between said pair of conjoined members.

5. A toupee as described in claim 4 in which there are a plurality ofindividual short hairs secured between said members and extending aroundand upwardly from said front edge of the upper member.

6. A toupee as described in claim 5 in which said upper and lowermembers are adhesively secured together.

7. A wig comprising, a laminated foundation comprised of a pair ofrelatively flexible plastic members secured together one on the uppersurface of the other, the lower one of said members being conformed insize and shape to the bald spot of the head to be covered, the upper oneof said members being smaller than the lower one of said members andsecured to said lower member whereby to protrude downwardly beyond thefront edge thereof to define the front edge portion of said foundation,the lower member extending rearward from the rear edge of the uppermember to define the rear end portion of said foundation, said frontedge and rear end portions of said foundation having a greater degree offlexibility than the portions defined by the conjoined upper and lowermembers, hair secured on the upper surface of the foundation, the hairextending from said upper surface around the front edge of the founda- 5lower member for holding the foundation on the head.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,814,301 11/57Schmitz 132 5 2,850,023 9/58 Taylor 132-53 X 3,977,891 2/63 Lane 132-5RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

3. IN A TOUPEE, A BASE ADAPTED TO CONFORM TO THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF ABALD SPOT ON A HEAD COMPRISING, A PAIR OF MEMBERS SUPERIMPOSED ONE UPONTHE OTHER, THE LOWER MEMBER FORMED OF A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIALSUBSTANTIALLY TO CONFORM TO SAID BALD SPOT, THE UPPER MEMBER COMPRISINGA CAP OF FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL SMALLER THAN THE LOWER MEMBER SECUREDUPON THE FRONT END PORTION OF SAID LOWER MEMBER WHEREBY THE THUSLAMINATED FRONT END PORTION OF THE BASE IS MORE RIGID THAN THE REMAINDEROF THE BASE, SAID CAP HAVING A FRONT EDGE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY ANDBEYOND THE FRONT EDGE OF THE LOWER MEMBER TO COINCIDE WITH THE FRONTHAIRLINE OF THE HEAD UPON WHICH THE TOUPEE IS INSTALLED.